"The conquest of Andalusia in 1492 was quickly followed by a number of Spanish-sponsored expeditions of discovery that revealed to Europe the continent of America and the Pacific Ocean, and thus established an empire for the Spanish, making them the European superpower of the day. As well as voyages of discovery, the new but remote empire required a lot of servicing – most importantly the transfer of vast quantities of silver and other precious resources back to Spain – and there was a need to communicate with the Spanish possession of the Netherlands and to maintain her interests in the Mediterranean, so Spanish seafaring was of crucial importance in the 16th century. Not everyone that manned a Spanish ship at the time was necessarily Spanish – after all, Columbus was Genoese and Magellan was Portuguese, but in appearance seafarers of the day looked much the same regardless of nationality. Recruits were obtained wherever they could be found, and while the numbers manning a ship were loosely based on the displacement of that ship, there were many factors that could alter this equation quite dramatically, particularly the purpose of the voyage. While her ships were a vital part of the Spanish projection of power, her sailors would have a central role to play, and this is the first set to portray such men in this hobby…."